All stories by Deepak Patel
SpiceJet flyers walk on Delhi airport tarmac post 45-min wait for bus
Rediff.com7 Aug 2022Passengers are not allowed to walk on the Delhi airport's tarmac area as it is a security risk. There is a demarcated path on the tarmac for vehicles only.
DGCA begins 2-month-long special audit of airlines after technical snags
Rediff.com24 Jul 2022The DGCA conducted the spot checks as there have been many technical malfunction incidents in Indian carriers' planes during the last 45 days.
SpiceJet again! China-bound freighter returns to Kolkata as radar fails
Rediff.com6 Jul 2022SpiceJet said its freighter aircraft, which was heading to Chongqing in China, returned to Kolkata on Tuesday as the pilots realised after take off that its weather radar was not working.
Globally, airlines' losses will be down to $9.7 bn this year
Rediff.com20 Jun 2022The airlines' losses globally are expected to be down from $52 billion in 2021 to $9.7 billion this year and industry-wide profit should be on the horizon in 2023, Director General of IATA Willie Walsh said in Doha on Monday. International Air Transport Association (IATA) represents some 290 airlines comprising 83 per cent of global air traffic. Walsh, in his inaugural speech at the 78th annual general meeting of IATA here, said that while the outlook for airlines globally is positive, the business environment remains challenging.
Air India plans to buy over 200 new planes
Rediff.com20 Jun 2022Tata Group-owned Air India is considering buying more than 200 new planes with 70 per cent of them being narrow-bodied aircraft, aviation industry sources said on Sunday. While Air India has zeroed in on Airbus's A350 wide-bodied aircraft for the procurement, the talks with Airbus and Boeing for narrow-bodied aircraft is still on, they said. A wide-bodied plane like Airbus A350 has a bigger fuel tank that allows it to travel longer distances such as the India-US routes.
Vistara fined for letting improperly trained pilot land a plane in Indore
Rediff.com2 Jun 2022The pilot, who was the first officer on the flight, landed the aircraft at the Indore airport recently without first getting the requisite training in a simulator, they said.
IndiGo to conduct study on how to better handle the specially abled
Rediff.com1 Jun 2022The aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had last week imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on the airline for denying boarding to a specially abled child at Ranchi airport on May 7.
Air India bans smoking, consumption of intoxicating substances at workplace
Rediff.com19 May 2022The Tata Group-run Air India has banned smoking and consumption of intoxicating substances at the workplace and any employee violating this order will be "dealt with appropriate consequences", the airline's Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) Suresh Dutt Tripathi has stated. It was not clear what was the trigger for Wednesday's communique. Air India did not respond to PTI's request for statement on this matter.
Akasa Air to launch flight operations in July
Rediff.com25 Apr 2022The commercial flight operations of Rakesh Jhunjhunwala-backed Akasa Air will be launched in July instead of June. "As we get closer to the airline launch date, we can now confirm refined estimates on our timelines. "We expect our first aircraft delivery by early June 2022, with the intention to start commercial operations in July 2022," Vinay Dube, CEO, Akasa Air, told PTI.
Air travel curbs eased; no PPE kits for crew, pat-down search restarted
Rediff.com22 Mar 2022The relaxation has been given to facilitate "smooth conduct of air operations", the ministry's order stated.
SpiceHealth, AAI in blame game over Covid fiasco at Amritsar airport
Rediff.com13 Mar 2022SpiceHealth had on January 6 and January 7 tested 469 passengers who arrived on two charter flights from Italian capital Rome and found 298 of them to be COVID-19-positive.
Airports Authority may procure two counter-drone systems
Rediff.com14 Nov 2021The The Airports Authority of India is likely to procure two counter-drone systems worth Rs 9.9 crore in 2022-23, according to an official document.
Flight dos and don'ts issued, air fares set in 7 bands
Rediff.com21 May 2020The Airports Authority of India issued a standard operating procedure to airport operators on Wednesday for recommencement of domestic flights from May 25 onwards.
Post lockdown-flights: Cabin crew to have face shields, gowns, masks
Rediff.com15 May 2020Airlines such as IndiGo, Air India, Vistara and AirAsia India have decided to go with the new attire to ensure safety of cabin crew members as they are in close proximity to passengers during flights
How drones are helping fight against COVID-19
Rediff.com21 Apr 2020Drones are being used for carrying out a host of tasks like surveillance to ensure that people are maintaining social distancing, spreading awareness about COVID-19 in densely populated areas, spraying disinfectants and checking people's temperature
IndiGo has a post-lockdown plan, including no meals
Rediff.com10 Apr 2020Once the coronavirus lockdown is over in India and commercial passenger flights are permitted again, IndiGo will deep clean its aircraft more frequently, stop in-flight meal service for a brief period and will fill a maximum 50 per cent capacity in airport buses, the airline's CEO Ronojoy Dutta said on Friday. "In situations like these, companies do not manage to growth or profitability but to liquidity. That means our singular focus is on cash flow. We are examining all our fixed costs and looking for ways to minimise them," he said.
Kunal Kamra seeks Rs 25L from IndiGo over flying ban
Rediff.com1 Feb 2020Kamra was banned by India's largest airline for six months on Tuesday for allegedly harassing Goswami on the Mumbai-Lucknow flight. SpiceJet, GoAir and Air India also imposed a similar ban on Kamra without specifying any period.
Captain who flew Kamra writes to IndiGo, objects to ban
Rediff.com30 Jan 2020The pilot wrote in his letter to airline's management that he was 'disheartened' to learn the carrier took action against the comedian without consulting him and solely on the basis of social media posts.
Air India reinstates pilot found guilty of sexual harassment
Rediff.com19 Jan 2020The senior pilot was suspended in May last year after being found guilty of sexual harassment by an internal committee of the airline. The committee imposed a 'major penalty' on Captain Sachin Gupta, who has now appealed to the next authority against the punishment.
Passengers threaten to break cockpit door on AI flight
Rediff.com4 Jan 2020"The AI865 flight on Thursday got delayed as it developed a technical snag. It had to return to the bay. Passengers started knocking on the cockpit door, asking and taunting the pilots to come out," said an airline official. "One male passenger even said that he will break open the cockpit door if the pilots didn't come out," the official said, adding the situation inside the plane "went from bad to worse".